Process for making tiles.



. No. 836,638. PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906.

0.DUCKER.

PROCESS FOR MAKING TILES. APPLIOATIOITIILED JULY 24. 1906.

ORLANDO DUUKER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PROCESS FOR MAKING TILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application filed July 24, 1906. Serial No. 327,531.

To a. whom it may (av/warn:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO DUCKER, a citizen of the United States, residing atWashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Processes for Making Tiles, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved method of making tile and similar articles wherein the materials composing the tile are molded into desired form and subjected to pressure to complete the formation of the article.

' surface.

' the carrying out of t ,used in conjunction with my The main object of the present process is to so arrange the materials composing the tile as to provide the article after a plication of the finishing pressure with a hig y-polished In carrying out 'the present process the main materials used are sand and cement, with or without the addition of color, as desired, these materials being, however, used in different degrees of fineness and in different pro ortions for the surface layer and for the o y of the'article.

In connection with the present process I use a form of mold articularly adapted for to be used in conjunction with the tile-press- 1 machine of commerce.

he specific details of the mold structure are described-in the following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Flgure 1 1s a transverse section of the mold improved process, the same being shown su ported on the bed-plate of the pressing-mac ne. Fi 2 is a plan of the same, a color-former eing shown in position. Fig. 3 is a transverse se tion of Fi 2 on the line 3 3.

The mo (1 used in conjunction with the present process comprises wall-strips ,1, connected to provide in outline shape the contour of the desired article. In the instance illustrated these strips are connected to provide a mold of square outline, though it is obvious that the mold may be shaped to provide a rounded contour or any desired angular contour.

By preference two of the approximate walls are each formed at their juncture with an a .larly-projecting lip 2, Wh'ichare desi e' to be secured in contact by bolts 3, w ereby to secure said walls in connected mold-forming relation, while at the same e process which mold is which is poure time permitting a slightseparation of the walls when desired to insureremoval of the article without stick cludes a bottom boar 4 and a top or pressure board 5, each being of a size to fit snugly within the walls, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The bottom board 4 is designed to directly receive and sup posing the article and is preferably constructed of metal, as steel. surface 'of the bottom board-that is, the surface on which the material rests during the forming process-is highly polished, whereby in connection with the materials to be noted to impart a highly-polished surface to the completed article.

In carrying out made up intwo layers, hereinafter termed the fsurface layer and the body of the article. The surface layer is composed of e ual parts of sand and cement, each of W ll.lOh materials is, by screenin or grinding, reduced to an extreme degree 0 cement particularly being practically 1n powdered form. A sufficient quantity of water is added to equal parts of the above-noted materials to roduce a semiliquid mass,

into, the mold to a de th approximating one-quarter of the desire thic ness of the finished article.

The second la er or body of the article is made up of san and cement in proportions a proximating five of the former to one of tfie latter. he materials forming this layer are of a less degree of fineness than the materials forming the mixed with a proper quantity of water to provide for a roper setting of the cement, the quantit 0 water necessary being materially less than used in connection with the materials of the surface layer.

Previous to adding the body layer'to the mold the upper or exposed portion of the surface la er 1s dusted witha quantity of the mixture fbrming the surface layer-in dry form, wherby to takenp theferrcsss mnis ture in the surface layer andgproyide'ior a proper cementin of'lthe layers'inndeiipressure. After app ication of-thedryymaterial the body layer 1s arrajn ed' thIntiie-mold to the desired depth, t e pressure-board '15 applied to-the upper surfaceoffltliebody layer, and the material subjected to the necessary pressure for a short'time, After ini- J-IO The mold also inport the material com- Y The relatively upper the process the article is fineness, the

surface layer and are upon the bottom board removed for the drying operation.=

Owing to the highly-polished surface of the bottom board and the intimate'mixture'of the materials of the surface layer the surface of the finished article when removed from the bottom board will be found in ahighly-polished condition.

In forming tiles or similar articles with ornamental or colored surfaces the above proc-' ess is carried out exactly as described, except that a color-former 6 of skeleton'outline and infthe form desired for the ornamentationis first whi'c the surface'layer described, with the desired color added, is poured into and around theformer'. It is of course'obvious" ently colored masses upon removal ofthe" In this condition the former the'body layer applied as 'de'- colon-former. 6 is removed,

scribed, and the necessary pressure added to comlplet'e the article.

T e primaryobject ofthe above process is providing the finished article'switha hi polished surface, which is a dir'ect incident of thelr method of manufacture: The essential stepsto produce this result are, first, applyingdlrectly' onto a highly-polished-pressure-' resisting surface a'semiliq'uid 'mass of sand and cement'in equa'l proportions andin-an extreme degree offineness second, in applying to this sem'iliquid layer a dry layer of the same material to absorb a proportion of the moisture from the surface layer'previous to subjecting said layer'to' the-necessary pressure, and, third, in backing the surface'layerwith a body of sand and cement in'the proportions offiveto'one and of a less degree of fineness than; the surface layer.

The liquid condition of the surface'la'yen insures the intimate mixture ofthe materials, whilejthe extreme fineness of the latter, par ticularly that ofthe cement, insures the sentation'of a non-porous layer next to the polished surface'of the bottom plate. Fur' thermore, the fineness of the cement insures the mostcomplete binding effect ofsuch agent, so'that the surface of the article'is' highly polished under pressure.

It 1s to be-palticularly understoodin conf- [ICCtIOIl with the presentprocess that while ihowing and describing the tile as made up" laced upon the bottom board 4, after" pre-' to present a single polished face it is obvious that the process contemplatesproducing a vtile having the opposite faces polished, in

which event, after the addition of the body layer, an absorbing layer is applied, over 7 which a second surface layer is poured, The pressing-board 5 in this instance will have the relatively lower surface highly polished, so that the finished tile will have a polished upper and lower surface. It is equa lj obvi- 7 5 ous that the walls of the mold may, if preferred, be polished on their relatively inner surfaces, so that a surface layer may be appliednext tosaidsurf'a'ces'. The tile formed under these conditions willhave polished 8o edges, it being understood that any'desire'd configuration with orwithout color may be used'in connection'with thepolished edges-or surfaces'. WVith the mold wall ofcircular shape, with the-relatively inner surface pol- 85 ished, the process is readily adapted to'pro' viding a polished column of hollow or'solid section figured to the extent desired, the molding-operation being well understoodand needing no-fur'ther 'descri tion; 90 While preferring the relative proportions of materials noted in the above description for the surface and body layers it-is tobe understood that I do 'notliinit myself thereto, as said proportionsmay be'varied in'ac 5 cordance withthe conditions and natures of the'maten'al and of the article'to be'produced. The particular proportionsof the material of the surface layer have 'proven by experience to be best adapted'fornnparting :00 an extreme polish to the' surface; but the process is adapted for producing a variationofthe polishdegree by changing the relative proportions of the materials composing the surface layer. 1o 5 Having'thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is 1. The herein-describedprocess of fo'rx'ni'ng tiles or the like, consisting'in applyin'g"a surface layer of a semiliquid mixtur'e'ofsand-r10 and cement to'apolished mold-surface,- adding an absorbing layer thereto, andfiii'ally adding a body layer to the absorbin layer.

2. The hereimdescribed process of orming' tiles or the like consisting in applying a sur fa'ce'laiyer' of sand and'cement in a-semiliquid mixture of equalpro'por'tions'to a highly ot ished' mo ld surface, adding thereto" anab sorbing'layer and'finally adding'a bodylayer of sand and cement; I

3 The herein described'process' offorming tiles or the like, consisting ina plyingga-semrliquid layer ofsand'and cement'to a highly polished mold-surface, said materials being mequ'al proportionsand an exti elne degre'e" of fineness, adding: thereto a dryday'er of the same materials,- and finally adding a body layer ofsand" andcement"in--11nequah proportions; p 1

4. The herein-described process;- cdnsisb I ing in applying a semiliquid layer of sand and cement to a highly-polished mold-surface, adding a second layer of sand and ce- 1 ment in a dry condition, adding a body layer of sand and cement in moistened condition, and finally subjecting the mass to pressure.

5. The herein-described process,'consisting in applying a semiliquid layer ofi sand and 1 cement to a highly-polished mold-surface, adding a second layer of sand and cement in i a dry condition, adding a body layer of sand 3 and cement in moistened condition and in the proportions of five parts of sand [0 one of cement, and finally subjecting the mass to 2 pressure.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ORLANDO DUCKER.

W'it nesses JOHN L. FLETCHER,- DAVID W. GOULD. 

